Collapsible crate.



A. LIST & W. A. DE MAINE. GOLLAPEIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 11: 1912 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2,

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ADOI'JPH LIST AND WILLIAM A. DE MA INE, OF CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI.-

COLLAPSIBLE cna'rni Specification Letters Patent;

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Application filed January 10, 1912. steer ng, 670,471.

useful Improvements in Collapsible Crates,- of which: the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccomp'anying drawings.

Our'invention relates to new and useful improvements in the art of metallic ship- 7 ping and storing vessels and more particularly to a metallic collapsible crate, and our object is to provide a. deviceofthis character which may be readily and quickly set u for operation and compactly folded for shipment or storage when not in use.

further object'of the invention resides in providing a device, the walls. and bottom of which 'are provided withdhterl'ockingi means, whereby the parts of the device may be quickly and securely engaged with one another, and a still further ob ect resides in providing a device which is extremely simple anddrirable in construction,inexpensive tomanufact'ure, and one which will be very eflicientand useful in operation.

With these and other object's in view, our invention consists in ,the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and more particularlypointed out in the specification and-claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, Figure l isa'perspective view of the device set upfor operation. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection therethrough. Fig."3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same. Fig, 4 1s an-end elevation of the device partly in section,

and, Fig. 5 is a'fragmentary perspective t the cover view ofone end of thedevice wi removed.

In carrying out our invention, we shall refer to the drawin s in which similar refi and 5 indicate, respectively, the side walls ofthe device, the lower edges of which V are bent inwardly and thence outwardly,as shown at 6, to form channel-ways adapted to receive the overlying portions .3 of the side edges of the bottom, and the end edges of these side walls 4 and 5 are first bent inwardly, as shown at 7, to form channels, the free ends of these inwardly bent portions being thendisposed outwardly at substantlally right angles to the plane of the walls to form the stop flanges 8.

The end walls 9 and 10 each have the bottom edges thereof provided with an out- .wardly ent flange 11 which is adapted to be received in the channel formed by the overi lying flange 2 of the bottom 1, said bottom flangesll extending to points adjacent the side edges of said end walls, and said side edges of each. of the end walls are provided with the outwardly bent flanges 12 which are adapted ,to ,enter the channel-ways 7 formed on the end edges of the side walls 4 and 5. The end walls are also provided on their upper'edges immediately adjacent the side flanges 12, with downwardly bent of said end walls and are adapted to receive thereunder, the outer faces of the stop flanges 8 of the side walls 4 and 5, when the end walls are properly engaged there-with, and the upper edges ofeach of said end walls are also provided with outwardly extending flanges 14 which form rests or the like for a cover 15. y This cover 15is of a size equal to the greatest dimensions of the walls of the device, the same be ing provided with depending side and. end

flanges 16 and 17, respectively, which snugly engage portions of the device and complete the same.

In setting up the device, the side walls 4 and 5 are first brought over the ottom 1 and slipped-into position so that t e overlying tongues 13 whichextend over the outer faces flanges 3 of the side edges o f.the*bottom I will snugly fit within the channel-ways formed by the inwardly and outwardly bent portions 6 of the lower edges of the side walls 4 and 5, it being 'obviousthat the space between the flanges 2 at the end edge s ,;of the bottom and the flanges 3-at theside'edgs thereof, will permit of said'side walls heing readily slipped into position. The. de'

walls 9 and 10 are then broughtinto piisi- ,tion and theside flanges 12 thereof disposed in the channel-ways 7 'of the side walls and said end walls moved vertically so that the tongues 13 at thempner 'edges'thereof will its - overlap the stop flanges 8 of said side walls,

whereupon the lower portions of the end walls are forced outwardly so that the lower flanges 11 thereon will en ge under the overlying flanges 2 of the ottom. When these flanges, as above described, are properly interlocked, the end and side walls Will be securely locked together and locked to the bottom .and will not be adapted for casual disengagement so that various articles may be placed therein and shipped from place to place with assurance of perfect safety. 7

After the walls and bottom are engaged with one another, as, above described, the top 15, of course, may be laced in position on the device and may be ocked in position thereon in an desired manner, whatsoever, it being convenient to provide such means as may be readily engaged with the outwardly bent flanges 14. of the end walls of the device, although no such means has been shown in the drawings. When all articles have been removed from the device and it is not desired to retain the same in its upright position, the parts of the same may be readily collapsed in a manner reverse to the manner above described for the setting up ofthe same, and the parts may be placed on one another and within the top 15 so as to be compactly folded and placed out of the way for use at some further time.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that we have provided an improved metallic shipping and storing vessel which is of the collapsible ty e wherein locking means is provlded on the various walls of the device and the bottom thereof, which locking means is formed integral therewith and may be readily and quickly engaged and disengaged with one another. It will further be seen that the device, when set up for use, will be securely held together, but may be readily and quickly collapsed, when desired. It will further be seen that the device is one which is extremely simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and one which will be very eflicient and useful in operation.

While we have particularly described the.

elements which are most well adapted to perform the function'siset forth, it is obvious that various changes in form, proportion and in the minor det-ails of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the principles of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. A collapsible crate, comprising a bottom section provided with overly ng sidev adapted inwardly and outwardly bent flanges to engage the overlying side flanges o the botvide channel-ways thereon, said end flanges being also continued at rigyangles to the general trend of the side w ls to form lat eral flanges, end wallsections having outwa rdly bent flanges at the lower ends thereof adapted. for engagement with the overlying end flanges of the bottom section, and also provided with outwardly bent side flanges adapted' for engagement with the channel-ways formed at the ends of said side walls, downwardly bent tongues formed on' the upper edges of said end wall sections or enga ement with said lateral flanges formed at-t e ends of said side walls, and a cover for the device.

2. A collapsible crate, comprisin aibottom section having overlying flanges on the side edges thereof extending the full length of the same, saidbottom section be'ng also provided with "overlying flanges at he end edges thereof extending to oints' adjacent the side edges of the same, si e wall sections, the lower edges .of which are provided with flanges bent inwardly and thence outwardly tom section, said side wall sections being also provided with end flanges bent to proto engage the overlying side edge flanges of channel-ways at such points, the latter flanges being continued at right angles to the plane of the sidewall sections toform lat eral sto flanges, end wall sections having outwar ly bent flanges at the lower edges thereof adapted for engagement with the overlyingend flanges of said bottom section, said end wall sections being alsofprovided with outwardly bent flanges at the side edges thereof adapted for engagement with the channel-ways formed by the flanges at the ends of said side wall sections, downwardly bent tongues formed on the upper edges of said end wall sections adapted for engagementwith the lateral stop flanges of said side wall sections, said end walls being also provided with outwardly bent flanges at the upper edges thereof to forlnrests thereon, and a cover for the device adapted to rest on the upper edges of the side wall sections and on the rests formed on said end wall sections.

In testiinony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

JOEL T. NUNN, L. F. Porr. 

